Sates and Urlando Earn Titles at SEC Championships

Wednesday, February 16

Knoxville, Tenn.

9:30 a.m. (Prelims) | 5:30 p.m. (Finals)

University of Georgia

SEC Championships

Photo by: Randy Sartin

February 16, 2022 | Swimming & Diving

Wednesday Finals Results Thursday Prelims Heat Sheet

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With four trips to the podium, the University of Georgia swimming and diving team continued its strong performance at the 2022 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships Wednesday evening at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

Following two days of competition, the Georgia women rank second overall with 373 points, trailing host Tennessee at 467.5. In the men's standings, the Bulldogs sit in fifth place with 308 points as Florida leads at 497.

In just his third collegiate 500 freestyle race, freshman Matthew Sates earned the SEC championship against a loaded field, taking first by a second over Florida's Kieran Smith with an A-cut time of 4:09.06. Sates' time also set a pool record and ranks second all-time in program history. Sophomore Jake Magahey also reached the podium with a bronze medal time of 4:10.22, also picking up an A-cut in the process.

Later in the evening, sophomore Luca Urlando earned Georgia's second gold medal with a winning A-cut time of 1:41.19 in the 200 IM final. Urlando's time set a new personal best and pool record, while tying Chase Kalisz for second in program history. Urlando previously posted a PR of 1:42.75 in prelims. In the women's 200 IM, junior Zoie Hartman placed second with a season-best time of 1:53.79, earning a top-two finish for the third-consecutive year.

Another historic mark came in the men's 200 freestyle relay as Urlando joined juniors Dillon Downing and Zach Hils and sophomore Wesley Ng to finish fourth with an A-cut time of 1:16.71, the second-fastest in school history. In the women's 200 free relay, sophomore Maxine Parker, senior Gabi Fa'amausili, freshman Eboni McCarty, and Hartman finished seventh with a B-cut of 1:28.87.

In other A-Final appearances, Downing took fourth in the men's 50 freestyle with a season-best B-cut of 19.03, while Parker placed seventh in the women's 50 free at 21.95. In the women's 500 freestyle, freshman Abby McCulloh finished sixth with a time of 4:40.86, while fellow first year Duné Coetzee took seventh with a season-best 4:41.03. In the 200 IM, Hils advanced with a sixth-place time of 1:43.50 in prelims but was disqualified in the evening session.

At the diving well, freshman Nolan Lewis earned a point with a 24^th-place finish on the 1-meter, tallying a score of 262.15.

The SEC Championships continue Thursday with the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, and women's 3-meter. The morning session opens at 9:30 a.m., followed by the evening session at 5:30 p.m.

For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).